


And They Danced To Their Own Beat

by wackyjacqs



Series: Bizarre Holidays [238]
Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-24
Updated: 2020-08-24
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:42:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26089615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wackyjacqs/pseuds/wackyjacqs
Summary: Jack glances around the immediate vicinity and smiles. He can’t remember the last time the team were fortunate enough to have a mission like this: good food, friendly hosts, no pesky Goa’uld trying to kill them… everything is pretty much perfect.
Relationships: Samantha "Sam" Carter/Jack O'Neill
Series: Bizarre Holidays [238]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1234973
Comments: 30
Kudos: 92





	And They Danced To Their Own Beat

**Author's Note:**

> Written for ‘International Strange Music Day’ (24 August). Set during early season 7.

Jack glances around the immediate vicinity and smiles. He can’t remember the last time SG-1 were fortunate enough to have a mission like this: good food, friendly hosts, no pesky Goa’uld trying to kill them… everything is pretty much perfect.

They had visited PXC-812 a week ago and almost immediately they’d been met at the gate by a small group of local villagers; the Ertrunians. They turned out to be a self-sufficient and friendly society who had been more than willing to enter trade talks with the team. Over the course of the week, they’d taken the standard soil samples and survey recordings and, unfortunately, while the newly-founded alliance didn’t provide anything strategically of use in Earth’s fight against the Goa'uld, it was always good to have another ally.

Daniel took the lead with the trade talks and these were – according to Ertrunian custom – always conducted on the nearby beach; a beach that was lined with palm trees and boasted white sands and crystal-clear water. The location reminded Jack of Maui – which he had absolutely no issues with – but it meant he kept getting distracted from the mission at hand.

Which, with hindsight Jack realizes, is when his problems started, because he’d been so busy admiring the landscape that when the Ertrunian leader, Clarisse, asked him a question, he had simply said ‘yes’ and then nodded in response. But it turned out that with his answer he’d accidentally agreed with the locals that he and Carter were married.

It was only when Sam had started to choke on her water that Daniel had _oh-so-helpfully_ filled in the gaps, but by then it had been too late for Jack to change his answer.

_“I spoke to the Ertrunians,” Daniel had offered afterwards, “and everything is going to be fine.”_

_“Good,” Jack answered. “So, you set the record straight?”_

_“Ah, no. Not exactly,” he’d said, pushing his glasses further up his nose._

_“Daniel!”_

_“Hear me out, Jack,” he argued, “you and Sam don’t have to do anything – just… act married.”_

So, for the sake of keeping up appearances – and to avoid offending their hosts – Jack had decided to play along and pretend he was Carter’s husband. Not that it was exactly a hardship, he’d told himself at the time.

But it’s been six days now and the underlying tension between him and his second-in-command _just keeps building._ They haven’t done anything incriminating; they just make sure to stay close to each other and occasionally touch the other with a hand on an arm or knee if they’re sitting, while Jack also throws in the odd, really bad, joke to see how often he can make Sam smile. It happens pretty much every time he tries, and he realizes he’s really starting to like the way her lips curve up and how her eyes brighten as she looks at him.

Like he said, it wasn’t really a hardship.

However, it’s now the last night of the team’s stay on PXC-812 and the Ertrunians are throwing a party in SG-1’s honor. There are small fires lit sporadically along the stretch of beach they’ve frequented over the past week; there’s a seemingly endless supply of food and drink; and the blended sounds of talk and laughter fill the air. Everything is going well and everyone is in good spirits when, suddenly, music sounds from somewhere nearby and Jack resists the urge to laugh.

It’s the oddest mix of sounds and instruments – he swears he hears bagpipes and steel drums and cellos – and yet, it works. There’s a steady beat that runs underneath the noise and Jack finds his foot tapping rhythmically in the sand.

He feels himself relax further and he places his hands behind him, his fingers digging into the sand and his legs crossed at the ankles when he sees a group of the local children pointing in his and Carter’s general direction before they smile mischievously and then start running towards them. They point between him and the major before they grab their hands and pull them to their feet and gesture for them to start dancing. They both try to resist the cajoling, but the kids’ enthusiasm is infectious and soon Jack finds his hands on either side of Sam’s waist, while her hands rest on his shoulders.

They keep a foot apart and watch as the children take them through the dance step-by-step. It’s not overly difficult to learn and things go well; the Ertrunians seem happy with the married couple partaking in their customs and they continue dancing for a few more minutes when Jack exchanges a quick glance with Sam and they have one of their silent conversations. He cants his head and she lifts an eyebrow in response. When he grins and taps the small of her back three times, she shakes her head before laughing softly. He knows they’re on the same page.

They complete the set of steps they were taught three more times when Jack takes one of his hands away from Sam’s waist and with the other, grabs her hand and twirls her once in a circle. The move draws a chorus of excitable ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ from their young audience and Jack’s grin widens, but the move has also brought Sam closer to him and his hand slips to the small of her back while the other keeps a hold of her hand and he brings them up to rest against his chest. Sam’s laughter sounds like heaven to his ears and he allows himself this moment to study her; he likes how at ease she appears and how she’s so far removed from Major Carter, and more like _Samantha,_ that he’s discovering he really, _really_ needs more moments like these.

Suddenly, Jack feels his confidence grow and he grins, deciding not to let Sam into his newest plan. They continue dancing, unaware of the attention they are attracting, and he waits patiently. He spins her once, twice, three times, before – on the final spin – he adjusts his hold and dips her. The move takes Sam by surprise and there’s a soft gasp from her before her fingers dig in tighter to his shoulder before her hands come to rest at the back of his neck.

The action reminds Jack of a moment, almost three years earlier, when he did almost the exact same thing. He’s hit with memories and sensations and everything starts to slowly fade into the background as Sam becomes his only focus. He watches as her eyes darken before her gaze darts to his lips. He brings her smoothly back to her feet, but holds her close so she’s now flush against him and he can feel her breathing speed up.

“You look beautiful tonight, Carter,” he murmurs. Her eyes widen and he knows he’s surprised her with his confession, but for reasons he is going to blame on some kind of alien influence, he swallows hard against the lump in his throat and lets his gaze drift lower. His voice drops an octave before he adds, “Which is why I’m going to do this.”

He leans in and presses his lips to hers. The kiss is soft and tender and featherlight; there’s no pressure, no demands, and he’s about to pull back when Sam responds and presses harder. He instinctively deepens the kiss when the sound of children giggling reminds him of where they are and that they have a very young audience. He reluctantly breaks the kiss and rests his forehead against Sam’s, but when he hears her soft moan, something inside him snaps and he decides he's feeling reckless enough to take a risk.

He straightens and looks around to find Daniel is, conveniently, not looking in their direction but then Jack finds Teal’c staring right at them and they share a look. The Jaffa nods slightly before he deliberately turns his attention elsewhere and Jack moves his head so that his lips are now by Sam’s ear.

“Wanna get out of here for a while?”

She nods in answer and he takes a half step back only for Sam slip her hand into his. He entwines their fingers before he tugs gently and leads them towards the hut they’ve been sharing for the past week.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for the lovely comments regarding yesterday's chapter; they mean a lot! ❤️


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